Reviews by Juuroumaru:

A- Pours black with a nice 1 1/2-2 in tan head and a lot of particulates/sediment collecting at the bottom (small to large). head starts to dissipate at around 90s and leaves a nice lacing around the rim of the glass.

S- A nice chocolaty malt comes through and that's about all i pick up.

T- slight chocolate with a smooth roastyness with a very slight bitter after taste almost like eating very high % Cacao chocolate

M- Coats the mouth nicely with a medium body, not to strong up front or on the back end.

O- i really enjoyed this beer even tho i found it lacking in a few places. For the price im not sure if i would pick it up again considering there are so many great stouts out there for less. i give it a B+ (718 characters)

Wow! Tough audience here as I look at earlier reviews. I think it has a fabulous A++ jet black pour with a moderate tan silky head that lingers.

There is a ton of aroma coming off the bottle and right into the glass. I get esters of dark roasted malts, mild chocolate, and dark fruit like plum or fig.

The body is not as heavy as I might like for the style. It is medium to heavy but there is also a strange astringency.

The taste tends to emphasize the dark fruits more than the chocolate or malts so that is a little unusual for the style. But at the same time it makes it unique. It finishes dry. I enjoyed it (slowly at 13%). (686 characters)

This is one of those beers that I just pick up on a whim and take home. It's also the last beer before a one month sabbatical. Hopefully it is worthy!

A: Pours black as stouts will, topped with a pretty intense brown head that takes a while to recede. Sparkling, rich, with big bubble bursts to release the aromas.

S + T: A surprising note of hops on the nose... some sweet and semi-burnt malt notes, but the big, piney scent is taking it. If I were to close my eyes and blind sniff this beer, I might suspect that it is a Black IPA. The flavour has a similarly unusual quality of citrus, some modest chocolate, and earthy, herbal spiciness. It's not really what I would think of an imperial stout as being.

M + D: Quite thin, as far as stouts go. It's not a terrible beer--not a drain pour--but it's definitely NOT what I would think of a Russian Imperial Stout as being. So... while it might not be a terrible tasting beer, I don't really see myself going back. (968 characters)

A: The beer is essentially jet black in color. It poured with a quarter finger high tan head that has good retention properties and consistently left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface.S: There are moderately strong aromas of roasted malts in the nose along with some hints of chocolate.T: There are strong flavors of dark roasted malts in the taste along with notes of burnt malts. There are some hints of citrus from the hops in the finish.M: It feels medium-bodied and a bit dry on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.O: For a beer that is 13.5% abv, the alcohol is very well hidden from the taste. (628 characters)

A: Pours a dark brown with a 2 finger mocha-colored head with very tight, creamy bubbles.

S: Did not expect this. The nose is almost straight hops with some alcohol. Smells almost like a black IPA. Only after REALLY getting my nose in there did I detect some chocolate or roastiness. Certainly not what I would expect for a 13% RIS.

T: Immediately hit with some hops. And then...sourness? Im confused. It doesn't taste "bad" but I am a SLIGHT chocolatiness up front, and then it moves to some sourness towards this middle (with a slight metallic taste) and finishes with a mild coffee flavor.

M: Less than medium. I like the fact that it is not overwhelmingly carbonated (that is what really kills an RIS for me), but its is too thin for the style.

O: Strange. It's not necessarily a "bad" beer, but does not fit the style. All the core components of an RIS are almost nowhere to be found. And the sour/metal notes are confusing me further.

I wouldn't pick this up again, but it was interesting to review. Really threw me for a loop! (1,038 characters)

Pours a deep, near-black brown with a nice finger and a half of mocha hued head. The foam lingers for a while before settling to a thin layer that actually laces pretty well for such a high alcohol brew.

Smell of cocoa powder, light licorice and sweetish dark fruit.

The first flavor I get is a big blast of bitter, semi sweet cherry skins followed by char, imitation dark bakers chocolate, pine bark, burnt cheap coffee, old marshmallow, bittering hops, licorice, moderate booze and a strange unpleasant vegetal astringency. What an ugly nasty mess of disjointed layers.

Wow. This is one of the worst, overpriced calamities of a beer that I've ever had the misfortune of trying. Unlike so many of my favorite high abv stouts this one seemed to get progressively worse as it warmed. A real shame that I paid so much for something I could only stomach for about 8 ounces before drain pouring the rest of the bottle. Stay away. Seriously. (1,170 characters)

Pours a dark brown color, very large head, in fact, be careful since it very well could overflow like it did with mine, fades at a slow rate and leaves some good lacing on the glass.

Smell is a bit of a surprise, huge aroma of piney hops, based on aroma alone I'd say it would have been an Black IPA, roasted malt and cocoa does make an appearance behind the strong pine forefront.

Taste starts out with the piney hop flavor which is quickly balanced by the roasted malt, a burnt coffee-like presence makes itself known in the aftertaste, body is thin for a stout with high carbonation, the strength is very well hidden though and I would not have thought this to be anywhere near 13.5%.

A bit torn, drinks more like a Black IPA than a RIS. As a RIS it fails, as something else it's quite good. (797 characters)